Ok Nice with Jack Corbett
Filmmaker and TikTok boy Jack Corbett answers a few questions and provides a playlist
It didn’t take TikTok—the teen dancing app—long to figure out what to feed me. Quickly after downloading it, I was introduced to this gorgeous young boy dunking on capitalism. If you’ve spent any amount of time on the app, odds are you’ve come across one of Jack’s videos, which can be seen on the NPR Planet Money page. His stuff is almost like if Adult Swim had a finance show, but instead of a stranger trespassing into your backyard and teaching your son about the universe, it’s Jack teaching you about time theft. He has the rare gift of not only discovering topics you otherwise maybe wouldn’t have clocked, but making sense of them without falling into the trappings of here’s-some-information-for-you-that-I-will-read-to-the-camera-isn’t-that-exciting-on-its-own???
I’m so happy his videos exist—especially with more and more people wanting things explained to them in two minutes or less, and who better to lead the charge than a guy who made a Malignant-inspired video about the ethics of congress trading stocks?
A lesser-known Jack joint is this fantastic short-doc he made in 2019. This thing means a lot to me. It kind of blew my mind and inspired me while at the same time left me feeling deeply, deeply betrayed. Although he tells you exactly what you’re about to get into from the start, it still manages to have a wild twist. I highly recommend watching this. Especially if you like Plantasia and funny open tabs.
Watching his newer work in the context of this short film makes it even more obvious that Jack is and has been insanely talented. We’re all really lucky that we get to watch his stuff.
What’s your day-to-day look like?
6:45am: wake, feed sourdough starter, listen to Up First from NPR (I work there!) while I make espresso, log in to work.
7:30am: read business articles/transcripts.
9am: By now my roommate has probably left to go to work, so I start walking in circles and talking to myself about whatever strange economic idea I find in the articles.
10:30am: lunch. Yeah, I know.
11am: More espresso.
12pm – 3pm: The sunlight is a consistent color and angle so I film a tiktok. I will edit what I film the next morning instead of talking to myself.
4pm: I’ll leave the house and walk 1 mile along sunset blvd to a grocery store, buy one apple, eat it on the walk home.
5pm-8:30pm: [unknown]
8:30pm: put on yellow glasses because they help me sleep [placebo]. Watch a confusing art movie.
9:30pm: Give up on the art movie, feed sourdough starter, water plants, retire.
On a good week, I bake 6 loaves of sourdough. Taking care of a starter and following the precise instructions to make bread is one of the only things that brings me inner-peace.
Best advice you’ve been given or something you keep in mind while working?
If you believe the comments that say “you are great!” you HAVE to also believe the comments that say “You are mediocre, you are scum/trash, gaunt Victorian peasant child.” That helped me not take ANY comment to heart, good or bad. I only really trust my own opinion about a video.
Favorite thing you own?
Lucky $2 bill. I bought a used copy of Game of Thrones (book) at a bookstore for $2. Then I found the bad boy wedged in its pages. In the field of economics, they call this “pretty cool.” Don’t know why it’s lucky, but it is.
What’s your go-to beverage?
My grandfather never drank liquids when he was out of the house or with meals. He said “do you ever see a dog eating and drinking at the same time? No, you don’t.”
I subscribe to this.
Favorite piece of art?
The movie F for Fake by Orson Welles. I would not be at NPR if it weren’t for that movie. It’s a documentary about an art forger, but then the footage gets hijacked by Orson Welles and he sort of makes the whole thing about himself. The editing is rapid fire and the narrative is complicated, but it all makes sense when you learn how to watch it. It’s equal parts objective and subjective. Just cool stuff!
Anything you’d like to plug?
(Laughs) Yes another plug. I just finished that new [adult swim] show Smiling Friends. I loved it. Most adult animation art styles are stinky, but this one is FRESH.
Check out Jack’s playlist for ok nice here.
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